House of Games
Rise and Shine
2006,Ram Music/Border Music
Rating: 3.5/5
Estonia’s House of Games has played with The Rasmus, Paradise Lost, Jethro Tull and also supported W.A.S.P on their 2006 Europe Dominator Tour. Despite the acts they’ve played with, their music is melodic rock influenced by both soul and funk; they sound a little like the now-retired Talisman.
The band’s music is well-executed and solidly-performed; Meremaa has a dynamic voice that gives the band a sound that stands out compared to other melodic rock acts today. Besides Talisman, House of Games sounds similar to Toto, Survivor and Foreigner – but a bit harder.
RISE AND SHINE consists of a bunch of solid material that’s fun to listen to. There a few ballads that don’t quite make the cut, but aside from those the material is strong. Meremaa sings in flawless English which is an achievement for a Baltic band. RISE AND SHINE is pretty long, but it doesn’t feel like it because of the diverse material. My favorite tracks are the faster tunes like “My Child”, “24”, “Hunter”, “Ave Maria”, “Evil in Needle”, “Spanish Man” and “Sugar and Spice”. The first part of the album feels a lot stronger than the second part, where they have overdosed on strings and orchestral parts. Perhaps the producer, Hilismaa, should have slowed the band down in those parts.
RISE AND SHINE is a positive surprise from a new band that is worth remembering. It’s great to hear what the Baltic countries have to offer the music scene.
Erik Meremaa – lead vocals
Kalle Vilpuu – guitar
Henno Kelp – bass
Andrus Lillepea – drums
Jevgeni Babkin – keyboards
More info about the band
www.houseofgames.org
Label
www.ram-music.org
www.border.se
Tracklist
My Child
24
Hunter
Ave Maria
Evil in Needle
Friend
Spanish Man
Sugar and Spice
Schizophrenia
Dreamin
Rise and Shine
